A simple dal is a winner for weeknight dinner. To scale up the nutrition even more, try this easy amaranth dal. It's just as delicious with the added superpower of amaranth greens!
Serve the dal with basmati rice or roti for a comforting, nourishing Indian meal.
Amaranth greens are one of my favorite summer veggies. When the sun hammers down, causing other leafies like spinach and lettuce to bolt, amaranth, with its beautiful, garnet-red leaves (or green leaves with pink hearts), thrives alongside other tropical greens like malabar spinach. It's nature telling us, these are the greens I want you to eat right now!
Even if you're not familiar with amaranth greens, you've probably come across amaranth grains, which are eaten as a cereal. Both the greens and the grains are superfoods. The grains are one of the richest plant sources of protein, while the leaves are loaded with minerals and vitamins.
Amaranth is an easy green to love. It cooks quickly like spinach, has a subtle but delicious flavor, and it is divine stir-fried or in a dal. You can also toss the greens into smoothies and salads.
Amaranth greens are widely eaten across India where they go by names like laal maath, chaulai, senkeerai and thotakura. Here in the United States you can easily grow your own amaranth greens in summer or buy them at Asian grocery stores: they are hard to miss with those striking, large leaves and long stems (which are also edible and delicious)!
Table of Contents
Why make amaranth dal?
- Veggie superpower. Along with the amaranth greens, you have onions, tomatoes and garlic adding their healthful properties to this amaranth dal. This is a dish you can feel good about eating and serving your family.
- Easy, beginner-friendly recipe. This is one of the simplest recipes you can make. You likely have all of the ingredients in the pantry and once the lentils are cooked the recipe takes minutes to make.
- High-protein, high fiber and low in calories. This dal has just 128 calories in a serving, eight grams of protein and four grams of fiber, along with loads of vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium. So healthy!
- Soy-free, gluten-free and can easily be nut-free. Just skip the peanuts if you are allergic to nuts.
Ingredients
- Moong dal (mung lentils). These lentils have the best texture for amaranth dal. However, you can replace them with split pigeon peas (toor dal), or pink lentils (masoor dal).
- Amaranth greens. Use any color amaranth leaves you can find, including the red, green or green with pink centers. They all work nicely in this dal.
- Spices: Cumin seeds, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne, turmeric, amchur (dried mango powder) and asafetida (optional). The amchur adds a rich tartness. It can be replaced with the juice of one lemon or a tablespoon of tamarind paste.
- Onions and tomatoes. Onions and tomatoes are used as a flavor base in many Indian recipes (a fact you already know if you've made this tomato onion masala sauce). Prefer red onions, if possible, and any juicy tomato. You can also use canned, diced tomatoes.
- Herbs. Garlic and cilantro. I like adding lots of garlic to dals cooked with leafy greens (like this dal palak or spinach dal). There's a whole bulb of garlic in this amaranth dal, but don't worry, it won't be overpowering. The garlic mellows nicely when cooked and tastes amazing!
- Peanuts. Peanuts are optional if you are nut-free, but if not, they are highly recommended. They add lovely texture to the dal and more healthy protein. Try adding them and see if you don't rave!
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How to make amaranth dal
- Prep lentils: Place the moong dal in pressure cooker or Instant Pot liner with turmeric and enough water to cover the lentils by an inch.
- Add amaranth to the lentils and mix them in.
- Pressure-cook dal and amaranth. Cover the pressure cooker or Instant Pot and cook for three whistles or 10 minutes on high pressure in the Instant Pot. Allow pressure to release naturally or force-release after 10 minutes.
- Tadka: Heat oil in a saucepan or pot. Add the cumin seeds and asafetida, if using. Once the cumin seeds darken slightly and become aromatic, add the garlic and saute another minute.
- Add tomatoes and spices. Add tomatoes to the pan followed by turmeric, cayenne, ground coriander, ground cumin and amchur.
- Cook tomatoes and spices until the color has darkened and there is not much moisture in the pan.
- Add the cooked dal and amaranth greens to the pot and mix well.
- Stir in peanuts, bring the dal to a boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add salt to taste before turning off heat. Garnish the dal with cilantro.
What to serve with amaranth dal
Dal is delicious over rice. Serve the dal with basmati rice or with this super-easy jeera rice for a treat.
I highly recommend eating this dal with an Indian flatbread, either a simple, homemade roti or a stuffed aloo paratha. If you are gluten-free, try this amazing besan roti made with chickpea flour.
In an Indian home you'd always serve a sabzi or vegetable side with dal and rice. My favorite sabzis to serve with amaranth dal are baingan masala or cabbage curry. A potato-based curry like these Bombay potatoes is wonderful too.
Follow the meal with a cardamom-scented vegan mango bread or turmeric cake for dessert!
Storage
- Refrigerate: The amaranth dal can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
- Freeze: Place the dal in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add more water if needed to thin out and check and add more salt if needed.
More tasty Indian dal recipes
Recipe card
Amaranth Dal Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup moong dal mung dal
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (divided)
- 1 bunch amaranth leaves (about 5 oz. You can cook the tender stems and even thicker stems if they are tender and cut easily. Discard any tough stems and chop the leaves finely)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida or hing (optional)
- 12 cloves garlic (crush with a garlic press or in a mortar and pestle, or mince finely)
- 2 medium tomatoes (finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (less, if sensitive to heat, more if you like the dal to be spicy)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon amchur (mango powder. Use the juice of a lemon if you can't source this, or use a tablespoon of tamarind paste)
- ¼ cup raw peanuts (you can add more, or skip if nut-free)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (finely chopped)
Instructions
Cook dal and greens
- Place the moong dal in pressure cooker or Instant Pot liner with turmeric and enough water to cover the lentils by an inch. Add chopped amaranth to the lentils and mix it in.
- Cover the pressure cooker or Instant Pot and cook for three whistles or 10 minutes on high pressure in the Instant Pot. Allow pressure to release naturally or force-release after 10 minutes.
Saute spices, garlic and tomatoes
- Heat oil in a saucepan or pot. Add the cumin seeds and asafetida, if using. Once the cumin seeds darken slightly and become aromatic, add the garlic and saute another minute.
- Add tomatoes to the pan followed by turmeric, cayenne, ground coriander, ground cumin and amchur.
- Cook tomatoes and spices until the color has darkened and there is not much moisture in the pan.
Add dal and peanuts to spices
- Add the cooked dal and amaranth greens to the pot and mix well. Stir in peanuts, bring the dal to a boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add salt to taste before turning off heat. Garnish the dal with cilantro and serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Angi says
This recipe is amazing. Even the kids love it, even though it looks like spinach. My 5 year old son, a very picky eater, says it is yummy. Amaranth leaves grow like crazy in our garden, in a warm but somewhat shady spot. I use lemon because I can't find amchur and serve it with basmati rice.
Supriya says
Looking forward to trying this, my first amaranth recipe! I haven’t seen it at the Indian store or Lotte yet but now I’ll go hunting. Also is “malabar spinach” what they call “vali” in Konkani? (I never know how to find that either!)
Vaishali says
Yes I think it’s valli although I remember in Bombay we called it mayaalu. Good luck with the search!
Shawna says
Solid recipe! I use a can of tomatoes since fresh tomatoes are hard to find in winter where I live. I gave it a few pulses with an immersion blender for a smoother texture. A go to recipe whenever I have lots of greens.
Vaishali says
Yay, so happy to hear!
Gyta Nicola says
Please would you indicate how much "a bunch of amranth leaves" weighs? One can't purchase them in my neck of the woods, here inthe UK, and I haven't found them in the Indian food shops in the Indian neighbourhoods in Central, East or South London either. Fortunately, I have a friend who grows amaranth and is happy to share but I have no idea how much is required for this recipe. Please help
Vaishali says
Around 5 ounces.
sitaram says
I added lime juice instead of amchur it tasted fine. when do you add the salt ?
Vaishali says
Usually best to add salt toward the end. But you can add it anytime while making the dal.
Arjun says
Hi Vaishali,
This is such a great recipe and you are spot on about the garlic! I added extra amchur and absolutely loved it.
Thank you for sharing!
Vaishali says
Thanks for letting me know, Arjun. So happy to hear!
Calla says
Excellent dish! Easy and delicious. Amaranth was a vegetable I’d always wanted to try but hadn’t. In this dal it was gorgeous. Definitely a keeper!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear. 🙂
Anonymous says
It's delicious! I used ghee and added a bit rasam powder. Yum!
Vaishali says
Awesome!
Harshita Ingole says
I had never tasted amaranth leaves.. tried this recipe and it turned out to be amazing.. i shared the recipe with friends and family members too and told evwryone to try it
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Harshita!
Gigig says
Hi, I had never had Amaranth before so trying out your recipe that I found online while searching for recipes was a little daunting for me but I was pleasantly surprised. The dish is simple and very tasty! Thank you so much.
Vaishali says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Nicolette Chartier says
Hi, love this website! I had a dinner party Sunday and this was one of my dishes (along with your mango lassi, naan, moong sprout salad, and cucumber raita, and a couple other dishes from other sites like chana dal, butter chicken sauce, and indian fried rice). One guest liked it so much she took some home! I used Taiwan spinach.
Vaishali says
Thanks for letting me know! So happy you enjoyed it.
Catherine says
I made this today with spinach and kale greens because that's what I had on hand. If I can find some amaranth leaves, I will try doing this the right way. Even the "wrong way," with spinach, is pretty darn good. This is such a perfect winter recipe because I start craving greens at this time of year. And you are quite right about the garlic--it is wonderful.
My idea was to have some of this left over for a workday lunch, but no such luck: My roommate and I polished this off at one sitting. It was just too good not to! But I'm hoping to visit a local Indian store this evening to replenish my mung beans and maybe find some amaranth leaves, and I will try again. 🙂
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Catherine, so glad you tried it. Spinach and kale would be wonderful in this. Hope you will try some day with amaranth! 🙂 I know you'll love it.
Sarojini says
Always looking for new dal inspiration so thanks for this. Is amaranth the same as callaloo? If so, we grow it!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Sarojini, I believe so. The one I used has pink centers but there's also an all-green version that would work just as well in this recipe.
Eileen says
This dal sounds so warming and delicious! I have to admit, I didn't realize that you could eat amaranth leaves. I will have to visit a few of the Indian markets around here and see if I can find some.
Vaishali Honawar says
Eileen, hope you try it! 🙂
GKB says
Hi
What is this green labeled as in the Asian grocery store?
I looked for "Amaranth leaves" but couldn't find it.I live in the Washington DC area too..so I go to Lotte plaza/H-Mart for shopping..
Thanks
GKB
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi GKB, it's labeled as Chinese Spinach. I shop at the H Mart on Georgia Avenue and they often-- though not always -- have them in stock.
GKB says
Thanks!Will hunt for them!!